The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-01-07

people are STRUGGLING against great odds 10
make homes for themselves and their posterity.
Court houses and other county buildings are TO
be erected and paid for; school houses bnilt and
schools ma ntalned: roads opened and worked
Ia short all tho necessary ad1nnots TO thriving
community arc TO bo called into being by the
efforts and money CT the Lardy pioneer. Every
other sectionor more perhaps, OF the land In the
county or district IN which he has settled be-
longs to some one of these giant corporations,
and Is held by 1t freed from any liability to con-
tribute = fsrthing TO tue itnpreyement which Is
constantly and rapidly enhancing the valne OF
It's holdings. The question OF the taxability OF
these lands has boon In number OF cases and
In dinerent forms before our supreme court: In
slmest every such instance the state has been
ters of these companies, which grant immunity
from tayatfon until q sale or CONVEYANCE or such
lands IL Is for you to thoroughly Investigate
the status Of such lands, and sec IL there Is anv
way by which YOU can obtain relief to the people
In this matter.
GRAIN STORAGE BIZ RAILROAD COMPANIES.
In ooupsction with the legislation proposed by
the railr0Id and warehouse commission, ! wouid
both right aud practicable that the railway
compynies, which handle nearly all OF the grain
raised for market in the state. should not be re-
sulred, when not receiving the same into cars
storage for IL In elevators grain houses NJ the
stetions where the grain fs received for ship
msnt, free of expense 70 the shipper. Is there
any sound reason for making grain an exception
10 the general rule that common carriers shall
receive freight, and, II not shipped At once shall
furnish storage from the time IL is offered for
shipment until ready to bo delivered to the con-
siGnee? That such requirement. would involve
the companies IA much expense and no little
Inconvenience at first must be Admitted: aud IL
the system should bo tnaugurSte5 q reasonable
time should certainly DO given the companies
10 furnish suitable storage structures. The
proposed plan might, - a limited extent, dis
place elevators and grain houscs now employed
by other eompaDles or persons, but donbt IL
Its eject Ia this direction would be material. The
greater pGTt OF the gr.tplSw received by such
houses Is noe delivered for transportation, bnt
Is either sold for cash or receipts are taken by
the producer with intent to sell at q future
day and without shipping from the receiving
station. Were the plan suggested to be put in
operation It is no. perceived that it would inter-
fere with the facilities for buying, receiving or
storing OF grain wherever such traffic Is or could
be carried On, but it would certainly stimulate
railroad companies to provide, as far as posi-
bic, tho necessary csrs tor the immediate ship
ment OF grain as offered No grain, Of course.
~ the owners desired to have immediately
shipped. The most obvious reason for making
grain an exception to ira rule in sections where
raised in great abundancs Is that the bulk OF the
crop intended for sale Is thrown upon the mar.
ket within few months after harvest, and
hence It would DO unreasonable to require the
companies to provide the necessary transporta-
ton TO move IL in so limited q Time or to store
II for want Of cars TO haul It away. But a. The
wheat farmer becomes more forshanded, and is
not compelled TO realize en- his crop immed-
age. aud this objection would soon be greatly
diminished. In this connection IL would be W Ill
TO consider whether the objections to the pro-
posed plan are not to some extent founded on a
participation in the elevator profits by some OF
the officers or managers or the roads. rather than
on the plan itself
considered by you worthy to be formulated into
. legal enactment, hayo no hesitation in rec
ommending such legislation as will make IL a
penal offense for any person owning, operating
or managing a railroad IN the state to particle
pate in any profits derived from an elevator,
grain house. wood or coal yard located on the
line OF his road ....
... WHEAT GRADING.
One OF the most frequent and serious COM
plants among wheat producers and dealers In
grain is the difficulty of procuring anything like
uniform grades at different times and places
too often, indeed. at the same time and place
on wheat OF the sams kind and quality. The
railroad and warehouse commissioners have
done much to lessen the evil, but there ia still
wide room for improveme II. II possible, the
Inspection should be made by PERSONS net only
DISTINGUISHED in the result, but without knowl-
edge Of the ownership OF the grain or of the prob
able purchassr-or, indeed, OF the person or per
sons Interested in commissions on 1t. Under
conditions OF this kind am satisfied that the
surprising and inexpicable differences in officia!
grades OF wheat OF the Same variety and quality
would rarely occur. Every avenue to dishonest
practices should be closed by the law whore pos
sihle. With the door TO favoritism lert open,
dissatisfaction will prevail, even in the absence
OF actual fraud.
WATERING STOCKS
commend to your special consideration the
legislation proposed by the commissioners to
prevent the issuing OF false, fraudulent and IN
paid stock by railroad companies, and TO regu-
late proceedings In the matter OF increasing
proposed bill is well calculated to suppress the
evil OF watering stocks by railroad corporations,
trick by which fictitious capital is created. and
upon whtsh the people are required TO paw divi-
dends. This me! hod Of dilutiug and expanding
capital, already dangerous to the public from
fits very vsstness aud its absolute control bys
few persons.-sometiInes practically by one
man,-costs tho producing classes of the
country many millions annually. There can ex-
iss no moral claim 70 dividends on water.d
such dividends
CHEAP PASSENGER FARES.
Cheap Ell e
moment. The territorial limits of tho state are
so great-the masses OF the people so remote
from onr large cities and chief public institu-
tioas-thGt travel Is oftentimes burdensome to
them, aud that free intercourse between the
people, so much to DO desired for many reasons,
ts greatly retarded STILL IL must be remem-
bered that the very existence Of these magnificent
distances and the comparatively limited popu-
lstion scattered over them render 1t fmpractica-
BILE that the passenger rates here should be as
low ~ In the thtckly settled communities Of the
East, where the average number Of passengers
per mile Is many times greater. Comlnendsble
progress has been made during the past year
toward standard Ct cheap PASSENGER fares, but
to be desired. There Is, ] appreheud, one obsta-
Gle in the way which It Il within your power to
remove. ! aiiude to the practice. obtaining
This custom, besides being Of questionable pol
lev, has become burdensomc 70 toe companies.
II tsvors the few at the expense Of the many.
The travelling public who pay fares have reason
to suppose that the amount charged them IA
governed more or less by the number who ride
free. 1t is a custom which smacks OF favoritism
on the one side and injustice on the other, and,
like many other, would be more hoaored IN the
breach than in the observance Il may, how
ever, be safely assumed that the influence OF
free passes on public men is much less than IL
generally supposed, II, indeed, tho cases where
It swerves them from duty are not too rare to
merit 1snsiderasSn Ine custom , mas become
positions apt to regard themselves as ca
titled TO free passes by virtue OF the offices they
hold. On the other haad the railrosd DIS are sub
tect TO retaliation In 30 many ways that It Is
doubtful II the practice can be suppressed with
out legislative Interference. Unless forbidden
by law. passes win BIO issued. and with rare ex-
captions those to whom they are issued will ac-
cept them. The inn uence Of the few who refuse
will be SO slight in restraining the evil that there
win DO but little encouragement TO individual
action. In my judgment the free pass system
in its present magnitude amounts TO a public
evil, and I recommend the enactment Of suitable
legislation TO destroy 1t.
THE TAX LAWS
There Is no more important subject concerning
which invoke Immediate legislation than that
of the amendment of the general tax laws Of the
state. Under these laws, as interpreted by our
supreme court in It's decision Of the now cele-
brated "Chauncey-Wass case" rendered since
the Adjournment OF the last legislature, and
lately reafirmed. though by divided court,
any freehoider Is liable TO be Invested OF the title
to his real property through the operation OF the
tax laws or the action of those VINO administer
them, although ho may have paid bis tax in full
and Will hin the statutory time. ] advance no
censure Of the court, and find no good reason for
doubling the sircerity, high motive and lofty
| independence Of the judges. The provisions o.
the statute ara intricate. and there IL loo much
room for division aud doubt The law should be